1. Field of the Invention
A self-closing closure system for an athletic glove that expands as a wearer's hand enters the glove and then recovers to cinch around the wearer's wrist and provide a secure, flexible fit.
2. Background of the Invention
Athletes wear close-fitting athletic gloves for a range of sports such as American football, baseball, and golf. These close-fitting gloves are generally made of a material thin enough to be tactile but whose closure system must be tight so that the motion of the wearer's hand during the activity will not loosen the fit of the glove or cause the wearer to lose their grip on a ball, bat or club. Generally, such close-fitting gloves are made of a range of materials such as leather or high performance synthetic materials with very similar closure systems. Typically the closure systems have included two piece wrist closures with mating sides of hook and loop fastener material such as Velcro™ supplied on the facing portions. Generally, hook and loop fasteners are able to provide a custom fit but in certain situations can be cumbersome to wrap around the wrist to get a secure fit. Since the wearer can only use one hand to put on the glove by definition, the two piece closure has presented some difficulties in some sports. The wearer may be able to attain a secure fit by applying the glove with one hand, but often the mating hook and loop portions are misaligned causing the edges of the glove to be uneven and cause discomfort to the wearer. Due to these difficulties, athletes must sometimes get help in securing their gloves and ensuring that the hook and loop portions are correctly aligned from trainers. Another drawback to hook and loop fasteners is that in the field, grass, dirt and other materials can get caught on them, particularly the hook portion. The hook portion also tends to stick easily to other things such as clothing and other equipment. Also, over time, the hook and loop fastener can wear out and not provide as secure a fit as when new. This is particularly true when the hook portion of the fastener catches on things and becomes clogged with fibers and other materials preventing the loop side from catching securely.
A performance drawback of the typical hook and loop fastener is that since two thicknesses of material must mate for the fastener to work, there is an area on the wrist that is generally stiffer than desired. The hook portion of these types of fasteners is generally made of a stiff material. Coupled to the loop portion, the resulting mated fastener is generally thick and stiff. In many sports, the wrist area is where the athletes want increased flexibility, and the mating hook and loop closure can present an obstacle to the free movement of the athlete's wrist.